Lucky Lab Goes Solar

In case you wondered about all those silver panels on the roof of the Hawthorne Luck Lab --- and all the white pipe on the ceiling of the beer patio --- and the new shed in the corner of the patio, the shed that came perilously close to displacing My Favorite Picnic Table (well, I just would have had to move is all...no way would any rational Portlander turn his back on the pleasures of a pint of --- say --- Crazy Ludwig's Alt on the Lab's patio during the spring and summer. And fall...even with 98,000 dogs a-barkin'...)

Lucky Lab Goes Solar

Lucky Lab Brew Pub on Hawthorne installed a new solar thermal system in December. TheThe system is the first of its kind in an Oregon brewery. Sixteen
rooftop solar thermal collector panels means that the hot water needed to make their popular brews will now get a boost from the sun. Even in winter. Even in Portland.

And the fact that Lucky Lab is located in Portland, a city with more
commercial breweries and brewpubs in the city limits than any other city in the world and ranked as one of the nation's most sustainable, is a feather in the cap of the breweries'
owners.

"It's a no-brainer," says Gary Geist, co-owner of Lucky Labrador Brewing Co.
"It will definitely help with the energy costs. The initial outlook is good
and I'm curious to see just how much it will save us. Last week we had 3
days of sun and we got 900 gallons of water up to 145 degrees, well on the
way to the 160 to 200 degrees needed for brewing. The air temperature
outside was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be exciting to see what
will happen with several days of sunshine in the spring and summer."

Geist and co-owner Alex Stiles contracted with Ra Energy, a solar hot water
solution company, to design and install the system for the Hawthorne
location, with plans in the works to apply the technology to the Lucky Lab
on Northwest Quimby Street in the near future. Ra Energy also advised and served as a
liaison in obtaining permits and energy credits and customized the
technology they use to be specific to the needs of a brewery.

Following the installation Lucky Lab is looking at reduced energy costs for
the next 25 years. After the initial system costs are paid for in energy
savings (approximately three years), annual energy costs for heating water
for the brewery and restaurant will be decreased substantially.

What to watch for next? Sun beer. Lucky Lab will begin brewing Portland's
newest liquid sunshine soon and presenting it at the Portland Brewer's Fest
this summer.